NCI Designation

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is Georgia's first and only cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

About Our Designation

The NCI-Designated Cancer Centers are recognized for the depth and breadth of their basic science and clinical research, in addition to cancer prevention, control, and population/behavioral sciences. There are currently 69 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, located in 35 states and the District of Columbia, which include 17 Cancer Centers, 45 Comprehensive Cancer Centers, and 7 Basic Laboratory Cancer Centers.

Designation requires effective collaboration among various disciplines and with our community partners in private practice and in academic centers throughout Georgia and across the nation.

With this recognition comes the responsibility to provide public information, education and outreach to other health care professionals and the community.

The planning process, which was funded by a $2.5 million NCI planning grant, took 5 years and involved extensive peer review.

The effort was well worth it: NCI designation for Winship gives Georgians improved access to clinical trials and resources that may not be available elsewhere. We join an elite cadre of cancer centers in earning this distinction.

In 2013, Winship Cancer Institute received a renewal of its NCI designation and was rated as “outstanding” by a panel of 23 reviewers.

About the National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute, or NCI, is part of the National Institutes of Health, which is one of the 11 agencies that make up the Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI serves as the government’s principal agency for cancer research and training. The NCI is also charged with the duty of incorporating the most advanced and effective cancer treatments into clinical practice. It coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports the research and treatment of cancer at every stage. In addition, the NCI is in charge of communicating information concerning research and discoveries.

The National Cancer Act of 1971, enacted as part of the nation's war on cancer, established the Cancer Centers Program of the National Cancer Institute. This branch was charged with developing a network of distinguished cancer research centers characterized by scientific excellence and the ability to bring diverse research approaches to bear on the cancer problem.

Clinical Trials at Winship

In 2014, over 700 patients were enrolled in 250 Winship clinical trials, testing new therapies. In the last seven years, 75-percent of new cancer treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration have been tested in clinical trials available at Winship.